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DPI Victorian Dairy Industry Brochure

The Department of Primary Industries has recently produced a new brochure on the dairy industry called ‘The Victorian Dairy Industry’.

By Department of Primary Industries - 9th March 2005 - Back to News

The brochure explains that dairy farms in Victoria are among the most efficient in the world. A temperate climate, high quality soils and a reliable supply of water through high rainfall and well-established irrigation systems provide abundant, clean and quality pasture for year round grazing.

Dairying takes place in the high rainfall areas of Victoria (more than 700mm per year), namely the south-west, north-east and Gippsland regions, and in the irrigation areas of northern Victoria and east Gippsland. The Victorian Dairy Industry consists of approximately 6,200 farms and 1.3 million cows, which are mostly Holstein-Friesian (Dairy Australia, 2004).

Along with Tasmania, Victoria has the highest level of protein/milk fat composition in Australia (Dairy Australia, 2004), allowing dairy manufacturing companies the ability to produce more products on a milk equivalent basis.

Similar brochures can be found for the grains, Meat, Wine, Horticulture, Fruit, Vegetable and Organic industries

Copies of the brochure can be found on www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agribusiness

GipRip River Forum

Understanding the impact of dairy farming on riparian land in Gippsland is the focus of the GipRip Project which is exploring ways to restore riparian health by using science and plain common sense behind its management recommendations.

You are invited to attend the third "GipRip River Forum" on Wednesday 30 March 2005 at the Alberton West Recreation Reserve, Lanes Road Alberton West, commencing at 10.15am.

The morning will consist of short, sharp presentations from key guest speakers, followed by a light lunch.

The afternoon will be spent on the Albert River with guest speakers and local farmers exploring issues and opportunities.

Some topics to be covered:

• "Improving our waterways - What is in it for me?" Dr. Ian Rutherfurd, Melbourne University.
• "Restoring river health" Kylie DeBono and Mal Gibson, West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority.
• "Lessons from Landcare - Challenges with change" Coral Love, National Landcare facilitator.
• "Managing our riparian areas - driving our own learning" Albert River Learning Group.

For further information and to help with numbers please contact Carol Bradshaw at DPI Ellinbank on 5624 2222 or Jenny O’Sullivan on 5663 2386.

BALED SILAGE PLASTIC COLLECTION DAY

"Burning baled silage plastic is illegal" says Frank Mickan, Victorian TopFodder Silage Coordinator from DPI Ellinbank. However, collection days for baled silage stretchwrap plastic have been arranged again for 2005 by the Baw Baw Shire Council.

Recycled baled plastic, if suitable, is used in mixtures with other plastics to manufacture products such as low-pressure pipes, roadside posts and park furniture.

To minimise the costs of transport and preparation for recycling, the plastic brought in by farmers must be relatively clean and unadulterated with foreign objects and, ideally, be relatively dry.

What do farmers need to do to enable silage plastic to be recycled?

• Shake the plastic to reduce silage and soil contamination.
• Roll the plastic into a tight bundle.
• Keep each coloured plastic separate.
• Absolutely NO inclusion of bale strings and net wrap as they are made from different. polymers and, if mixed, render the recycling process useless. Plastic will be checked and rejected if string or net is found inside the bundle.
• Absolutely NO contamination by steel, wood, gravel, dead animals, plastic containers, etc.
• Store the plastic film in a dry site. Wet plastic is a problem as it greatly increases the cost of transport and requires extra time and energy to convert the material into a reusable form.

Brochures are available from the two shire offices and DPI Ellinbank, describing the requirements to enable this plastic to be recycled. For further information please contact the Baw Baw Shire Council 03 5624 2501.

Collections will take place at the Lardner Transfer Station on Simpson Rd, Lardner on 26^thApril 2005 between 9.00am and 12.00 p.m.

The Environment Protection Authority stipulates that the burning of plastics on farm is illegal. Buried plastic, although not illegal, and particularly if buried in gullies or sloping ground, will require many years before being broken down and could render that area of ground very unstable.

IS THAT A FERN ON YOUR DAM?

The surfaces of many local farm dams are sometimes partly or completely covered by a floating native aquatic fern called Azolla. Azolla plants have snow-flake shaped or triangular fronds up to 10mm wide and 30mm long. They may be red or green in colour depending on the amount of sunlight. During spring or in shaded situations the upper parts of the plants are green, whereas in summer and autumn, when exposed to full sunlight, they become dark red. Fine roots up to 4mm long hang in the water below the floating fronds.

Azolla is not harmful to stock that drink the water or consume the plant. Nor does Azolla have a deleterious effect on domestic house and garden water. When Azolla forms extensive surface mats it can adversely affect aquatic life in the dam however, due to the restricted penetration of sunlight and depletion of oxygen. It can also block pipes and pumps, and deter stock from watering.

The fronds are high in protein and nutrient rich, particularly nitrogen, as they contain a nitrogen-fixing blue-green algae. Overseas, Azolla is used as a fertiliser in rice fields and has been used as a feed source for various domestic animals and plants. It has also been scraped off dams and used on vegetable gardens and house gardens as a free fertiliser.

Aquatic plants such as Azolla are important habitat for a range of aquatic life including invertebrates, fish and birds. Azolla may also help to reduce nuisance algal growth by providing refuge for algae grazers, and by reducing the availability of nutrients and light.

If extensive Azolla mats are causing an immediate problem, some can be removed by manually or mechanically scraping the top of the dam. A home made two-person scraper using fine chicken netting is a cheap, practical method. While there are chemicals registered to kill Azolla, the process may have side effects of directly killing beneficial aquatic life, or indirectly through rapid plant decay leading to oxygen depletion in the dam.

Minimising the amount of available nutrients and sunlight will lower the potential for excessive growth of Azolla, algae and other aquatic plants. Where possible:

• Reduce fertilisers entering the dam by leaving an unfertilised area around the dam.
• Leave a buffer area or filter area of vegetation above the dam to minimise entry of nutrients and sediments.
• Minimise sunlight on the dam by planting vegetation on the north and west sides of the dam. Do not plant trees on the dam embankment.
• Restrict stock access to dam to prevent disturbance to banks and sediments, and to stop stock defecating and urinating in the water. Provide alternative drinking water via troughs.
• Occasionally de-sludge the dam to remove accumulated nutrients.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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